Wards for general category to further come down
Reserved segments to be finalized after delimitation
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Mar 22: Reservation to Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in Panchayats and Municipalities approved by the Central Government by an Act of Parliament could vary from eight percent as their population will also be taken into consideration while deciding number of seats to be reserved for them.
However, seats of general category will further go down in both Urban and Rural Local Bodies where women have 33 percent reservation including Women-SC and Women-ST while Scheduled Tribes (STs) have 10 percent reservation and Scheduled Castes (SCs) eight percent. But, as per the officials, the number of seats reserved for Women-SC and Women-ST within 33 percent quota of the females will be deducted from overall reservation of SCs and STs.
Reservation to OBCs, official sources told the Excelsior, will be applicable in all Rural Bodies including the District Development Councils (DDCs), Block Development Councils (BDCs) and Panchayats (both Sarpanch and Panch segments) besides Municipal Corporations, Councils and Committees.
“A decision on quantum of reservation to the OBCs in Rural and Urban Local Bodies will, however, be taken based on population as well,” the officials said, adding that a detailed notification will be issued in this regard by the Government at the time of delimitation followed by fresh reservation of Wards.
While the Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD) had last month sought representations from the people for delimitation of Wards in the Urban Local Bodies including Corporations, Councils and Committees in the month of February, the Rural Development Department is expected to undertake the exercise after the completion of Parliamentary polls.
As far as Paharis Ethnic Tribe, Paddari Tribe, Koli and Gadda Brahmins are concerned, the officials said they will be eligible to contest the elections under ST category though their population is confined to some districts.
“As these tribes have been conferred ST status, they can contest on the seats reserved for ST category in Municipalities as well as Panchayats,” the officials said.
Earlier, the STs had 10 percent reservation in Jammu and Kashmir in Government jobs, educational institutions and the Legislative Assembly. However, in jobs and education, the reservation has now gone up to 20 percent—10 percent each for previous tribes including Gujjars and Bakerwals and 10 percent for Paharis, Paddaris and two other tribes.
The Government is yet to take a decision on whether the reservation for STs in local elections will go up or will be same. Quota of seats for the Scheduled Castes (SCs) will remain unchanged.
In the Legislative Assembly, STs have 10 percent and SCs eight percent reservation. Nine seats in the House of 90 are reserved for STs and seven for SCs. Besides, there has been provision for nomination of two women, two Kashmir migrants including one woman; and one Pakistan occupied Jammu Kashmir (PoJK) refugee.
Elections to Panchayats and Municipalities were due in October-November last year but were deferred due to grant of reservation to OBCs. Besides, there were also discrepancies in number of voters in certain Wards of Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations which prompted the Housing and Urban Development Department to undertake delimitation exercise. As per the officials, the delimitation exercise for Sarpanch and Panch segments in the Panchayats is expected to be taken after the Lok Sabha elections.
“Following delimitation, reservation of Wards will also be taken up,” they said.
Besides Panchayats, the elections to Block Development Councils have also become due as their term was co-terminus with the Panchayats. The District Development Councils, however, have their term till January 2026. First-ever elections to the DDCs were held in November-December 2020 and the DDCs were formally constituted in January 2021.
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